Is holiday made in America?

Published: Tuesday, July 2, 2013 at 5:12 p.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, July 2, 2013 at 5:12 p.m.

Nope, we've got it wrong. Independence wasn't declared July 4, 1776, after all. That happened July 2, when the Second Continental Congress voted to adopt Thomas Jefferson's Declaration.

It was given the final OK on the Fourth, though, and that's why we celebrate.

Other interesting events have occurred through the years July 4. In 1862, Lewis Carroll finished "Alice in Wonderland." Buffalo Bill presented his first Wild West Show in North Platte, Neb., in 1883.

France liked us better July 4, 1884, than it does now, for that's when it presented the Statue of Liberty to us. Germany didn't like us a bit (the feeling was mutual) in 1944 when our side let off a 1,100-gun salute on their lines in Normandy to celebrate our birthday.

Ninety-eight years ago on the Fourth, Nathan's of Coney Island, N.Y., held its first annual hot dog eating contest.

Nine years ago on the big day the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower was laid on the site of the World Trade Center.

And if the Boston Bombers had followed their original plan, July 4, 2013, would have marked the day of their attack, but impatience and impetuousness changed things.

The Obama family will celebrate Thursday, for sure, because it's older daughter Malia's birthday. It's also Stephen Foster's, who wrote many songs about America including "My Old Kentucky Home" and "The Swanee River." George M. Cohan, composer of many patriotic ditties, says he "was born on the Fourth of July" in "Yankee Doodle Boy," but it was really the Third.

John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on the same Fourth of July, as did North Carolina's Charles Kuralt, who traveled across America "On the Road" in search of off-the-beaten-track stories. Sen. Jesse Helms died five years ago Thursday.

The most important events for the Fourth of July for most of us, however, are the parades, the firework displays and the big, bang-up cookouts in the backyard.

What's on the menu for that cookout? The top 10 favorite Fourth of July foods are potato salad, lemonade, pasta salad, watermelon, hot dogs, potato chips, flag cake, hamburgers, baked beans and barbecued chicken. We'll add corn on the cob to that list, and perhaps a bucket of homemade ice cream and apple pie to round things out.

But whoa — most of these foods are not truly American. Dogs and burgers are from Germany, chicken from southeast Asia, watermelon from southern Africa, apples from pre-historical Europe, lemonade from Egypt, pasta from, no, not Italy, but China, as is ice cream.

The Western world can lay claim to corn, potatoes and beans, and that tomato slice on your burger, though. Kraft, with a little help from Betty Crocker, gave us the flag cake; what could be more American?

How about a little Fourth of July quiz to test your patriotic IQ?

1. Who wanted the wild turkey to be our national bird? a. George Washington, b. Benjamin Franklin, c. John Adams

<p>Nope, we've got it wrong. Independence wasn't declared July 4, 1776, after all. That happened July 2, when the Second Continental Congress voted to adopt Thomas Jefferson's Declaration.</p><p>It was given the final OK on the Fourth, though, and that's why we celebrate.</p><p>Other interesting events have occurred through the years July 4. In 1862, Lewis Carroll finished "Alice in Wonderland." Buffalo Bill presented his first Wild West Show in North Platte, Neb., in 1883. </p><p>France liked us better July 4, 1884, than it does now, for that's when it presented the Statue of Liberty to us. Germany didn't like us a bit (the feeling was mutual) in 1944 when our side let off a 1,100-gun salute on their lines in Normandy to celebrate our birthday.</p><p>Ninety-eight years ago on the Fourth, Nathan's of Coney Island, N.Y., held its first annual hot dog eating contest. </p><p>Nine years ago on the big day the cornerstone of the Freedom Tower was laid on the site of the World Trade Center.</p><p>And if the Boston Bombers had followed their original plan, July 4, 2013, would have marked the day of their attack, but impatience and impetuousness changed things.</p><p>The Obama family will celebrate Thursday, for sure, because it's older daughter Malia's birthday. It's also Stephen Foster's, who wrote many songs about America including "My Old Kentucky Home" and "The Swanee River." George M. Cohan, composer of many patriotic ditties, says he "was born on the Fourth of July" in "Yankee Doodle Boy," but it was really the Third.</p><p>John Adams and Thomas Jefferson both died on the same Fourth of July, as did North Carolina's Charles Kuralt, who traveled across America "On the Road" in search of off-the-beaten-track stories. Sen. Jesse Helms died five years ago Thursday.</p><p>The most important events for the Fourth of July for most of us, however, are the parades, the firework displays and the big, bang-up cookouts in the backyard.</p><p>What's on the menu for that cookout? The top 10 favorite Fourth of July foods are potato salad, lemonade, pasta salad, watermelon, hot dogs, potato chips, flag cake, hamburgers, baked beans and barbecued chicken. We'll add corn on the cob to that list, and perhaps a bucket of homemade ice cream and apple pie to round things out.</p><p>But whoa — most of these foods are not truly American. Dogs and burgers are from Germany, chicken from southeast Asia, watermelon from southern Africa, apples from pre-historical Europe, lemonade from Egypt, pasta from, no, not Italy, but China, as is ice cream. </p><p>The Western world can lay claim to corn, potatoes and beans, and that tomato slice on your burger, though. Kraft, with a little help from Betty Crocker, gave us the flag cake; what could be more American?</p><p>How about a little Fourth of July quiz to test your patriotic IQ? </p><p>1. Who wanted the wild turkey to be our national bird? a. George Washington, b. Benjamin Franklin, c. John Adams</p><p>2. Who receives credit for stitching the first flag? a. Dolly Madison, b. Molly Pitcher, c. Betsy Ross</p><p>3. In what shape were the stars in the first flag arranged? a. circle, b. square, c. triangle</p><p>4. Who wrote "The Stars and Stripes Forever?" a. Frances Scott Key, b. Stephen Foster, c. John Philip Sousa?</p><p>5. How many places in the United States have "liberty" in their names? a. 15, b. 27, c. 31</p><p>6. From which country do most of our flags and fireworks come? a. India, b. China, c. Mexico</p><p>7. In which year did the Fourth of July become a national holiday? a. 1785, b. 1865, c. 1941</p><p>8. About how many million hot dogs were consumed last year on the Fourth? a. 75, b. 150, c. 200</p><p>9. How did the Liberty Bell receive its crack? a. from a musket shell, b. on its first ring, c. hit by lightning </p><p>10. Where was the first national capitol located? a. Washington, b. Boston, c. Philadelphia</p><p>Answers: 1-b, 2-c, 3-a, 4-c, 5-c, 6-b, 7-c, 8-b, 9-b, 10-c. If you didn't ace this quiz, you weren't paying much attention in your fifth-grade history class.</p><p>Happy Fourth of July, anyway.</p><p>Page H. Onorato is a retired teacher.</p>